He has been released from the his National Letter of Intent, coach Steve Prohm confirmed in a text to The Register. There are no strings attached to the release.

The 6-foot-3 freshman-to-be guard from Houston asked a month ago to be released from the National Letter of Intent that he signed in November. Schools typically have 30 days in which to respond.

Prohm said last month at a Cyclones Tailgate Tour function in Burlington that he didn’t know the reason McNeill wanted to transfer — even before he ever settled in on campus.

"I never really talked to him; we texted,” Prohm said in Burlington. “I talked to his mom. She asked if they could ask for a release. I told them the proper channels and explained the process of it."

The release, first reported in a text by the Ames Tribune, allows McNeill to be eligible for a scholarship and play immediately.

Next season’s roster, as of now, includes nine scholarship players, five of whom haven’t yet suited up for the Cyclones. Michael Jacobson and Marial Shayok are also on scholarship, but they’re sitting out next season while satisfying NCAA transfer rules. Shayok is a Virginia transfer, while Jacobson is transferring from Nebraska.

Prohm said last month that he’s not in roster panic mode. He has two available scholarships.

"There's a lot of teams in the country that go into a season with open scholarships," Prohm said. "If you start thinking like that — that's when you make bad decisions.

"I want good players that are good fits for our program. Some of your best players sometimes come in the middle of your summer. We've got good players, don't forget that."